Wanchaq weather in January

In January, Wanchaq sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 229 mm of precipitation across 28.8 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 14°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 0% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of January to 12 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Wanchaq's 11th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Wanchaq's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
8th warmest
Overnight low
10th coldest
Precipitation
229 mm
28.8 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
5:36 AM – 6:19 PM
Cloud cover
92%
11th clearest
Wind
3 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.34 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.3
out of 10

Wanchaq is city in Cusco, Peru.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 14°C through the month.

A typical January day in Wanchaq reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 17°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1146
2146
3146
4146
5146
6146
7146
8146
9146
10146
11146
12146
13146
14146
15146
16146
17146
18146
19146
20146
21146
22146
23146
24146
25146
26146
27146
28146
29146
30146
31146

Wanchaq weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 8th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan14° / 22928.80.712.72.3
Feb14° / 21426.10.312.52.2
Mar14° / 17027.40.312.12.4
Apr14° / 7618.6011.73.2
May14° / 248.1011.44.5
Jun14° / 123.30.111.24.9
Jul14° / 113.10.111.35.0
Aug15° / 226.50.511.64.9
Sep15° / 3713.1011.94.3
Oct16° / 8420.30.112.33.5
Nov16° / 11622.80.312.63.1
Dec15° / 19727.50.512.82.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 0% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 2% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 98%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1298
2298
3298
4298
5298
6298
7298
8298
9298
10298
11298
12298
13298
14298
15199
16199
17199
18199
19199
20199
21199
22298
23298
24298
25298
26298
27298
28298
29298
30298
31397

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Wanchaq gets around 229 mm of rain and snow over 28.8 wet days in January, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 93% and peaks near 94% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1942
2942
3942
4942
5942
6942
7932
8932
9932
10932
11932
12932
13932
14932
15932
16932
17932
18932
19932
20932
21933
22933
23933
24933
25922
26922
27922
28912
29912
30912
31912

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in January

Winds average 3 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 3 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
13calm
23calm
33calm
43calm
53calm
63calm
73calm
83calm
93calm
103calm
113calm
123calm
133calm
143calm
153calm
163calm
173calm
183calm
193calm
203calm
213calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min at the start of January to 12 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:27 AM to 5:43 AM, and sunset from 6:15 PM to 6:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.85:276:15
212.85:286:15
312.85:296:15
412.85:296:16
512.85:306:16
612.85:306:16
712.85:316:17
812.85:316:17
912.85:326:17
1012.85:326:17
1112.75:336:18
1212.75:336:18
1312.75:346:18
1412.75:356:18
1512.75:356:19
1612.75:366:19
1712.75:366:19
1812.75:376:19
1912.75:376:19
2012.75:386:19
2112.75:386:19
2212.75:396:19
2312.75:396:19
2412.75:406:19
2512.75:406:19
2612.65:416:19
2712.65:416:19
2812.65:426:19
2912.65:426:19
3012.65:436:19
3112.65:436:19

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.34 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.59 kWh/m² to a high of 6.11 kWh/m² in October across the year — January's 5.34 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Wanchaq

In seasonPeak

In January, Wanchaq sits inside its monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Wanchaq's monsoon runs November–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Wanchaq?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

2.3
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Wanchaq.

What to pack for Wanchaq in January

From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In January, Wanchaq sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 6°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer and sun protection. About 29 days see rain.

rain geara warm layersun protection

UV index in Wanchaq in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 19 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Wanchaq peaks around February 10 at about 19 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 10 (extreme).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 10UV 19Jun 23UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan19Extreme
Feb19Extreme
Mar17Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct16Extreme
Nov17Extreme
Dec16Extreme

Air quality in Wanchaq in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Wanchaq is worst in September — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1315 µg/m³Jan 116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar8Good
Apr8Good
May8Good
Jun8Good
Jul8Good
Aug13Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov8Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Wanchaq?

Wanchaq sits at 13.5°S, 72.0°W, 3,358 m above sea level, in Peru. The nearest listed city is Cusco, 1.0 km away.

Sicuani

Topography around Wanchaq

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Wanchaq.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Wanchaq has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 494 m around an average of 3,464 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,580 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,508 m.

The land around Wanchaq is covered by artificial surfaces (58%) and grassland (24%) within 3 km, grassland (74%) within 16 km, and grassland (77%) within 80 km.

3 km
494 m
16 km
1,580 m
80 km
5,508 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Cusco 1.0 km · Santiago 2.0 km · Aguas Calientes 73 km · Machu Picchu 73 km · Abancay 100 km · Quillabamba 108 km · Santa Ana 109 km · Sicuani 115 km

Peru travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B / C
220 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 51% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$9,684
2025
Happiness
6.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
49%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
8.6
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
13.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 519
Religion
Catholic 76%Evangelical Christian 16%no religion 5%other religions 3%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Wanchaq (-13.5249°, -71.9653°, elevation 3,358 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).